Portable hand held devices such palmtop computers have become widely accepted as personal and business organizational tools. As such, many users constantly carry such devices with them. Such constant use requires that the housing for such devices meet a number of criteria. The housing should be aesthetically appealing. Simultaneously, the housing should be very rugged to protect the inner electronics from damage, and thus should not come apart in the event of a drop. As such devices become more and more powerful, the need for strength in the housing and associated latching mechanism is at odds with the need to minimize the amount of volume occupied by the housing, and thus unavailable for packaging the electronics. Moreover, any latching mechanism used to hold the housing together should minimize any volume occupied and provide a secure latching system to prevent the disengagement of the housing parts.